Scouting Report:

Athleticism:
+Solid mover for a thick defensive end, quicker than he is fast
+Impressive flexibility and ability to balance his large frame dipping around the corner
+More than adequate length with over 36” arms and oven mitts for hands that measure at 11”
-Too much of a finesse player, doesn’t make best use of his size and strength

Intelligence/Effort:
-Does a poor job keeping gap discipline with lack of anticipation and frequently taking a poor first step
-Slow to pick up the ball with his eyes, occasionally goes whole plays without finding it
-Consistently a half step slow off the ball, watches his man instead of the ball and reacts slowly
-Inconsistent intensity level, plays down to his competition

Pass Rush:
-Takes pass rush arcs that are too wide and too slow into initial contact, partly due to lag off the snap which allows blockers to set up quickly
+Combines ability to bend the corner with a strong rip move as a speed rusher
-Can’t consistently take the edge due to slow reactions off the snap and lack of top end speed to press the corner
-Bullrush ability underutilized as a whole and lacks a strong first punch when he does use it
+Brings power to fruition as a pass rusher with leg drive
+Puts powerful hits on quarterbacks when he comes free and causes fumbles often

Run Support:
-Very low impact run defender bordering on a liability
-Struggles to shed blockers even when he extends his arms, lack of hand violence and habit of stopping his feet do no favors
-Unable to anchor against double teams and combo blocks and gets turned too easily
-Frequently puts his head down against solo blockers and just tries to drive them backwards never finding the ball
-Struggles to consistently set the edge due to poor awareness of ball and blockers around him
-Gets to the ball at a low rate as a result of inability to shed and not always a reliable tackler when he gets there

Technique:
-Very light initial punch, frequently locks out his arms and resorts to pushing around blockers
-Too easily locked up for a guy with his upper body strength and length
-Pad level inconsistent as a whole, changes from down to down

Overall:
High expectations were put on Malliciah Goodman before the start of his senior season. After all, Clemson has been popping out NFL defensive ends for some time, including Andre Branch, Da’Quan Bowers, Ricky Sapp, and the late Gaines Adams. Painting with a broad brush is ill-advised, but all four were or have been relatively disappointing in the league. Even though most of Goodman’s positive attributes come in the pass rushing category, he was never a productive sack artist for the Tigers. He only managed 12 sacks in two seasons as a starter, 3 of which game in his final game. Where does that leave him as a draft prospect? Though he has natural tools in spades, he struggles to make the most of them and is truly an enigma on the football field. He doesn’t seem to have a great understanding of scheme and often gets caught guessing. His ability to defend the run doesn’t match up with his size either. Malliciah Goodman is much more of a developmental defensive end than a guy you can expect to have an impact early on and should be drafted as such.—Darren Page

Scouting Notes:

Clemson vs. Auburn• Stays home against the inverted veer and makes an easy tackle for a loss
• Walled off from the quarterback by a fullback too easily as a pass rusher
• Shuffles laterally down the line against a zone concept to the opposite side, maintains gap discipline for the cutback and gets in on the tackle when the back is held up
• Redirects quickly back to the outside on a swing pass screen to his side, gets to the sideline quickly
• Shows a good dip and rip move to the outside, draws help from the guard to the outside and forces the QB to step up
• Sets a strong edge on an outside zone and creates space to shed the block
• Struggles to adjust to a chip block, loses footing trying to avoid contact and goes down
• Redirects back upfield quickly when the QB steps up and takes off, sacks him and forces a fumble, great awareness

Clemson vs. LSU• Drives back the right tackle on a toss his way and forces the back to freeze and dance, gets in on the tackle behind the line
• Splits through two blockers on an inside stunt who don’t recognize it quick enough, sacks Zach Mettenberger with one arm as he tries to step up
• Blows by the right tackle with an impressive speed rush around the corner, dips shoulder well and stays balanced to make the sack
• Gives the right tackle a dead shoulder after an initial punch and squeezes around the corner, drags Mettenberger to the ground and forces an intentional grouding
• Slow to recognize and shovel pass after allowed to come unblocked, freezes at first but runs right past the back
• Blows by the tackle with a quick lateral step to the inside and forces a hurried throw from Mettenberger after play action
• Struggles to stay square and anchor against a combo block from tackle and tight end, can’t find the ball or shed as a result
• Puts his shoulder into the tight end and drives him into the hole but doesn’t stay square to find the ball
• Swims to the inside instead of setting the edge on an off tackle carry and leaves a big lane for Spencer Ware to bounce outside
• Times the snap well and beats the right tackle to the inside with no problem, bulls over the back to make the sack
• Gets a hand up against a double team to bat down a pass, long arms

Clemson vs. Virginia Tech• Slow to recognize a reverse coming back his way and gets sucked too far inside to make the play
• Unable to fight through a cutoff block in time to make a play on a toss his way, lack of hand usage to fight off
• Dips around the corner but unable to bend back far enough to the inside to get to Logan Thomas when he steps up
• Steps down behind the down-blocking right tackle and goes unidentified by the wham blocker, makes an easy tackle for loss
• Chases Thomas from the pocket after coming free on an inside stunt
• Stays home on an end around and works outside to cut if off, forces the WR to reverse fields
• Stacks the right tackle well at the point of attack but steps down inside right before the back bounces outside, loses the edge quickly
• Wins around the corner with an extra wide arc and a rip move, brings down Logan Thomas when he holds onto the ball too long